Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) has often been referred to as the “Queen of Forages” because it is an excellent source of protein and digestible fiber, and because of its wide adaptation. Alfalfa has a high mineral content and contains at least 10 different vitamins and is an important source of vitamin A. Alfalfa improves soil tilth, and, in symbiosis with nitrogen fixing bacteria, is highly effective in converting atmospheric nitrogen to biological nitrogen. Thus, alfalfa is an ideal crop for use in crop rotation to improve soil tilth and replenish nutrients depleted from the soil by other crops such as corn.
The environment in which plants are grown for agricultural production continuously offers new obstacles to forage production, including, for example, high soil salinity. Development of stable, high yielding cultivars with superior characteristics is an ongoing goal of alfalfa breeders.